The present invention relates to water sport towing attachments and in particular to a water sport towing attachment which may be lowered automatically using linear actuators.
Water sports often involve towing a water sports enthusiast behind a water craft. In some instances, a preferred tow point is high and near the center of the water craft. Unfortunately, a permanent structure of sufficient height will generally interfere with storing the water craft in a residential garage. Known towers extend vertically to between approximately five feet and ten feet above the floor of the water crafts. Folding towers are known which allow the towers to be folded manually, but are difficult to handle. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,159 for “Water Sport Towing Apparatus,” discloses a tow tower which may be manually pivoted forward against a forward deck of the water craft to provide a lower profile for passing under bridges or into a boat house. While this addresses the height issue, it is often difficult to manually lower the tower of the '159 patent. The '159 patent is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Although not directed to lowering a towing tower, U.S. Pat. No. 7,234,408 for “Water Sport Tow Attachment With Recoil,” discloses a tower supported by pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders. The '408 patent uses the cylinders to provide a recoil action in the tower to allow enthusiasts to use stored compressive energy in the cylinders to achieve better jumps and the like. Although the '408 patent does not disclose also using the cylinders to lower the tower for storing the boat in a garage, such lowering might be achieved without significant modifications. However, a tower supported by pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders presents an unacceptable risk of injury if a pneumatic or hydraulic leak or line breakage occurs. Because of the location of the tower, it is likely that the tower would slam down on occupants of the boat.